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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm min 1984/02/08 Tape 243: Side 0 - 968 MINUTES OF A REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers Wednesday, February 8, 1984 Public Services Building ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chairman O'Neill, Commissioners Cannon, Green, Guiles, Johnson, Pressutti COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Shipe - with prior notification STAFF PRESENT: Principal Planner Lee, Senior Civil Engineer Daoust, Assistant City Attorney Gill, Secretary Ruth Smith PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - SILENT PRAYER The pledge of allegiance to the flag was led by Chairman O'Neill and was followed by a moment of silent prayer. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MSC (Cannon/Guiles) to approve the minutes of December 14, 1983 as mailed. Commissioners Johnson and O'Neill abstained because of absence from the meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. 1. PUBLIC HEARING: PCM-84-7 - CONSIDERATION OF A ONE-YEAR EXTENSION OF A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT, PCC-8I-7, FOR A CHURCH AT 1655 BRANDYWINE AVENUE - CALVARY CHAPEL OF CHULA VISTA Commissioner Green~ said he would not participate because of a possible conflict of interest. Principal Planner Lee stated that the conditional use permit had been granted originally on January 14, 1981 for a 3-year period. The applicant is now requesting a 1-year extension. As there have been no problems affecting the original findings of approval since the church has been operating, the staff is recommending approval. Staff is also asking the Commission to consider permitting any additional extensions to be administered by the Zoning Administrator. This being the time and the place advertised, the public hearing was declared open. Planning Commission -2- February 8, 1984 No one wishing to speak, the.~ublic hearing was closed. MSC (Johnson/Guiles) to approve a one-year extension of conditional use peri, it PCC-81-7 and authorize the Zoning Administrator to approve any future extensions. Commissioner Green abstained. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: PCM-84-7 - CONSIDERATION OF STREET NAME CHANGE FnR DnRA LANE AND A PORTION OF BRANDYWINE AVENUE CHULA VISTA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Principal Planner Lee explained that the Chula Vista Community Hospital is requesting Dora Lane be renamed Medical Center Court and a portion of Brandywine Avenue be renamed Medical Center Drive. This change is intended to increase public awareness of the location of the facilities and the services. He pointed out that Dora Lane is the location of the Chula Vista Community Hospital and Vista Hill Hospital and other medical facilities are planned for that area. However, he added, the request is to change Dora Lane and Brandywine concurrently and that changing the name of Brandywine presents a problem in that the street is intended as a major north-south collector street extending from Telegraph Canyon Road to Otay Valley Road; the name change is proposed for only the portion of Brandywine lying north of Orange; changing the name of a continuous collector street causes confusion on the part of motorists and is considered undesirable by the Fire, Police and Engineering Departments; to change the existing street signs would cost approximately $1,800 to $2,000; no medical facilities exist on Brandywine; HYSPAN has submitted a letter stipulating that to change their address in directory listings in every major city in the United States, in their world-wide advertising format, and their industrial catalogues will represent substantial sums of money. Staff is recommending that the name on Dora Lane be changed, if the occupants so desire, but that Brandywine Avenue remain as Brandywine. Commissioner Green asked if there were representatives from the Fire and Police Department present to offer their objections. Senior Civil Engineer Daoust stated that the Engineering Department's concern was related to mapping problems and consistency of continuing street names. This being the time and the place as advertised the public hearing was opened. Barbara Pichardo, 1481 Brandywine, CV 92011, declared she was representing three families, and possibly, an uncontacted fourth, living on Brandywine. She spoke against the proposal as very objectionable, offensive, and inappropriate; cited the inconvenience of changing dog tags, licenses, bank addresses, charge accounts, and other records; stressed that many hospitals located in Chula Vista and San Diego are not located on or near medically- named streets but are still accessible to the public; there are no medically- related facilities on Brandywine and their area is strictly residential, while the health center is located on a cross street and has no permanent residential occupants. She recommended that Dora Lane be changed in name but that Brandywine remain as it is. Planning Commission -3- February 8, 1984 C. R. Campbell, 43 Corte Maria, CV 92010, representing Community Hospital, announced that he was taking the place of the Executive Director, Mr. Hansen. Mr. Campbell maintained that the request is based on the fact that there is a large medical complex consisting of Chula Vista Community Hospital, Vista Hills Hospital, a helioport, a medical center building, another medical center building under construction, and an anticipated skilled nursing hospital all located at this site which receive very little publicity through signage on Telegraph Canyon Road or visibility from that road. He stressed that the name would be more descriptive and that a complex of this magnitude deserves an exception. He said the hospital believes a case could be made for having the name Medical Center Drive go all the way down to Otay Valley Road including all of Brandywine, but as there is an essential part that is not improved, they are asking, at this time, to receive permission to change the name of that portion with which they are vitally concerned. In response to Commissioner O'Neill's question, Mr. Campbell replied that to change the name of Dora Lane and not Brandywine would not be acceptable to the Hospital Board and they would appeal to Council. The most important segment is Brandywine and Dora Lane is of secondary importance. Luis Amador, 1487 Brandywine, CV 92011, resident, stated the name change of Brandywine would not affect a bad PR job by the hospital. He affirmed the statements of Ms. Pichardo regarding changing the name of Dora Lane, the lack of any medically-related facility on Brandywine, and the inconvenience caused long-time residents by an address change. David Jarrett, Director of Buildings and Grounds at the hospital, declared the prime reason for the request is to identify the immediate access to the hospital from Telegraph Canyon Road; people bypass Brandywine looking for the hospital; the access identity to the hospital may not be available after land development occurs if their present sign is removed. Principal Planner Lee replied that there are hospital identification signs on the freeway; the sign at Brandywine would be removed from the right-of-way only if the street were widened and development affected the sign location noting that the topography does not seem to indicate this to be the case; Brandywine is a major street and should retain its name; and changing the name on a segment would cause more confusion than changing at an intersection. Carey Leffler, Vista Hill Foundation, 730 Dora Lane, CV 92010, supported the name change of Dora Lane to Medical Center Court. Don Heye, HYSPAN, 1685 Brandywine Avenue, CV 92011, stated that the name change would cost his company between $100,000 and $200,000 as outlined in his letter. They feel that is quite expensive particularly for the benefit of another special interest group. No one else wishing to speak, the public hearing was closed. {PresstJtti/Cannon) to recommend City Council approve the request to change the name of Dora Lane to Medical Center Court and to deny any other name change. Plannin~ Commission -4- February 8, 1984 Commissioner Pressutti added the request is by a special-interest group asking special consideration; it would establish a precedent by which a fast-food group could ask for a street name change to "Fast-Food Drive"; and other hospitals that are not identified in a similar manner by a medical street name. Commissioner Green stated he would vote against the motion as he has confirmed by personal experience the difficulty people have in finding the hospital; a sign saying Medical Center Drive would be helpful and he would like to see the name changed. Commissioner Cannon said that he can see the hospital's position but he supports the motion. He does not wish to encourage more confusing street name changes particularly on a north-south access road; he feels signage could be made adequate; and he views the requested change as a point of advertising. Commissioner O'Neill observed that in view of the fact that Mr. Campbell has stated the Hospital Board will be satisfied only with both names being changed, he will vote against the motion although he supports the recommendation to deny the name change of Brandywine. Commissioner Guiles said he could see giving the hospital the option of changing the name of Dora Lane if the motion passed. The motion failed by the following vote: AYES: Pressutti, Johnson, Cannon NOES: Green, O'Neill, Guiles ABSENT: Shipe ABSTAIN: None MSC (Pressutti/Cannon) to recommend Council approve the request to change the name of Dora Lane to Medical Center Court at the option of the Planning Department, the Engineering Department and the Medical Facility existing on Dora Lane and deny the street name change for Brandywine Avenue to Medical Center Drive between Telegraph Canyon Road and Orange Avenue. Commissioner Green voted "no." Mr. Pressutti explained that the intent of the motion is to make provisions for the name change (if Council approves), and the Hospital Board changes it mind, to be made at staff level instead of having to come back to the Planning Commission. Mr. Campbell asked for clarification and Mr. Pressutti continued that if the Chief Engineer and Mr. Campbell want to change the name of only Dora Lane, they may; it is their option if Council approves. It affects only Dora Lane, however, not Brandywine. Planning Commission -5- February 8, 1984 Mr. Campbell expressed concern over the decision of the Commission and said he would like to restate the request made to the Commission. He was instructed by the Chairman that the original request might be taken to Council or, with concurrence of the Council, he might change the name of Dora Lane to Medical Center Court. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: Principal Planner Lee reported that: The Planning Commission budget for '84-85, as submitted, includes provisions for three Commissioners attending the League meeting to be held in Anaheim, and for one Commissioner to attend the Institute in 1985. Disclosure Statements will be included in the packets from now on. There will be no Study Session on 2/15/84. - In response to a request at the last Study Session, he was passing around pictures of the monument signs at Otay Lakes Road and Bonita Road Shopping Center reporting on the action of the Design Review Committee which was accepted by the developer, the ADMA Corporation. COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS: Commissioner O'Neill asked about the status of the Sphere of Influence Report. Mr. Lee said he would check into it and report back. ADJOURNMENT AT 8:10 p.m. to the Regular Business Meeting of February 22, 1984, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Ruth M. Smith, Secretary WPC 0768P